The board
FreeCell has four distinct zones: the tableau (eight columns), four free cells (single-card slots in the upper-left), and four foundations (in the upper-right, one per suit). There is no stock pile.
The deal is 52 cards face-up, distributed row-by-row across the eight tableau columns. Columns 1–4 receive 7 cards each and columns 5–8 receive 6 cards each — 7 + 7 + 7 + 7 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 6 = 52. All free cells and all foundations start empty.
Tableau moves
A card can be placed on top of a tableau column only if it is one rank lower than the card currently on top and of the opposite color. So a black 7 can land on a red 8, a red 5 on a black 6, and so on.
An empty tableau column can accept any card — unlike Klondike, which restricts empty columns to Kings only. This makes empty columns one of the most valuable tactical resources in the game.
Free cells
Each of the four free cells holds exactly one card. You can move any accessible card into an empty free cell, and any card stored in a free cell can move back to the tableau (when the destination rules are satisfied) or forward to a foundation (when that suit is ready for it).
Free cells are your short-term working memory. Every empty free cell increases the number of cards you can shift in a single supermove — so over-filling the cells often locks the board.
Supermoves
You can move a run of cards from one tableau column to another as a single action — provided the run is a valid descending-alternating sequence. The maximum run length is limited by the free cells and empty columns available to act as temporary holding slots:
max run = (1 + empty free cells) × (1 + empty columns) when moving to a non-empty destination, or (1 + empty free cells) × empty columns when moving to an empty destination. The destination column itself doesn't count as a helper.
With all four free cells empty and no empty columns, the maximum is 5 cards. Clear one column and the maximum jumps to 10. Planning around this formula is the heart of FreeCell strategy.
Foundations
Each foundation starts empty and accepts any Ace. Once an Ace commits a foundation to its suit, the foundation builds up by rank within that suit — 2, 3, 4, all the way to King. All four foundations full = you win.
Cards sent to foundations can be pulled back to the tableau later in some FreeCell variants; StillDeck's engine does support this via undo, but reversing a foundation play mid-game is usually a mistake — the foundations are where cards retire, not visit.
How FreeCell differs from Klondike
- No stock or waste — every card is visible from deal one.
- Four free cells act as temporary holding slots; Klondike has none.
- Empty columns accept any card (Klondike restricts to Kings).
- Supermoves let you relocate long runs in a single click.
- No luck: nearly every deal is winnable with the right plan.